Bruce Springsteen to Give 2012 SXSW Keynote Speech

Bruce Springsteen is scheduled to give the keynote address at the annual South by Southwest Music and Media Conference and Festival (SXSW) on March 15, 2012 in Austin, Texas.

Rolling Stone reports the appearance will come as Springsteen and the E Street Band open a new chapter on their career following the June death of long-time saxophonist and Springsteen friend and confidant Clarence Clemons.

(Editor's note: Bring a comfy chair, this guy's a talker, a fact effectively parodied by Ben Stiller in one of our five nominees for the 2011 Ultimate Classic Rock Awards 'Best Commercial' category)

Springsteen has announced that he and the band will tour next year to support a new album.

Rolling Stone reports little is known about the album. The tour kicks off May 13 in Seville, Spain. No U.S. dates have been announced, although there are unconfirmed reports the two-month U.S. tour will begin in March.

"The music is almost done (but still untitled), we have almost settled on the release date (but not quite yet)," announced Springsteen on his website. "We are all incredibly excited about everything that we're planning for 2012."